Archives for August 2016

As you probably know, insomnia is often a big issue if you have anxiety and/or depression. I like to address low serotonin, low GABA and low blood sugar for the sleep and mood issues but sleep issues can be caused by so many factors.

The Sleep Success summit addresses so many of these other factors: the adrenals, the thyroid, the gut, hormone health (all of which can impact sleep), plus topics on sleep apnea (and the inflammation connection), MTHFR, autoimmunity, using essential oils, sleep problems we see in kids and so much more.

Dr. Michael Breus is the host of the summit and is interviewed by Sean Croxton: “An Interview with The Sleep Doctor.” He shares:

We know that when people aren’t able to stay asleep or fall asleep there is always some type of a mental component, either anxiety or depression (60-70% of the time)

There are just not a lot of people out there treating insomnia other than just prescribing pills and I’m not a big fan of that. Now you have two problems – you have a sleep problem and you have a pill problem.

I learned something new listening to Dr. Breus’ interview. He uses an evidence-based technique called “sleep restriction” to help his patients with insomnia. He says it trains your brain to know when to sleep and it works for about 50% of his patients. When the “sleep restriction” technique isn’t enough he uses cognitive behavior therapy to help with the negative thoughts and worry around the lack of sleep and supplements. He does use medications short-term (a few weeks only) to break the insomnia cycle.

I’m so intrigued by this “sleep restriction” method that I went looking for the research and found this study published just last month: 70% of the women receiving cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) said they had no more insomnia after 8 weeks and 84% said they had no more insomnia after 24 weeks!

A randomized clinical trial was conducted among 106 perimenopausal or postmenopausal women aged 40 to 65 years with moderate insomnia symptoms and 2 or more daily hot flashes.

At 8 and 24 weeks, 33 of 47 women (70%) and 37 of 44 (84%) in the CBT-I group, had scores in the no-insomnia range, compared with 10 of 41 (24%) and 16 of 37 (43%) in the MEC group.

Dr. Breus’ expertise is CBT-I and he is new to the naturopathic and nutritional world so we do have some professional differences of opinion, like buying Cosco magnesium (I would suggest looking for a quality product just like I do with all supplments) and avoiding 5-HTP and melatonin (although I do agree we do need to be informed consumers when using them). The good news is that because he’s new to this he does ask great in-depth questions of the experts on the summit.

You can PURCHASE HERE (it’s summit special pricing until the summit ends)

I’d love to know if you’ve ever done cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and if it helped you? Is yes did it include all of the following: sleep restriction, stimulus control, sleep hygiene education, cognitive restructuring, and behavioral homework? Please share in the comments.

A study that now shows reduced anxiety with fish consumption

In the study, 95 male forensic patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups:

a Fish group where they consumed Atlantic salmon three times per week from September to February OR

a Control group where they consumed other protein sources such as chicken, pork, or beef three times per week, also from September to February

The paper lists the incidence of the following disorders amongst the study participants (all sexual offenders) who were in a secure forensic inpatient facility in the USA:

Personality disorders (antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder or personality disorder with antisocial traits) were diagnosed among 76% of the participants. Moreover, about 31% of the participants were diagnosed with some kind of anxiety disorder (GAD, OCD, PD or post-traumatic stress disorder) and about 18% were diagnosed with depression (major depressive disorder or depressive disorder). About 31% of the participants had both a personality disorder and an anxiety or depressive disorder.

The study findings

The study participants consumed salmon for 6 months and the study findings suggest that

Atlantic salmon consumption may have an impact on mental health related variables such as underlying mechanisms playing a key role in emotion-regulation and state-anxiety

And that

The present results showed that fatty fish consumption caused changes in HRV [heart rate variability] which is regarded as an essential underlying biological mechanism involved in anxiety and emotion-regulation.

A few interesting factors about this study

The salmon was farmed and mercury and dioxin levels were measured. Despite this, mental health benefits and reduced anxiety was observed. I suspect even more favorable results would have been observed had wild salmon been used

The authors mention that a longer intervention as in this study i.e. 23 weeks/6 months is likely to lead to better results than a shorter intervention

The Fish group had a significant increase in both omega-3 fatty acids: EPA and DHA

The authors speculate about how improved vitamin D status in the Fish group may help regulate serotonin production and thereby help regulate heart rate variability and reduce anxiety

The study highlights nutritional benefits of fatty fish other than marine omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D: selenium, iodine, vitamin B12 and high quality proteins. I’d like to add that it is a source of zinc and iron too, both of which are co-factors for making brain chemicals.

The authors mention a limitation of the study, in that this group of adult male forensic inpatients may make it difficult to generalize the results to other groups in the population and recommend further similar research in children and women.

I look forward to future research but I feel very comfortable about putting this limitation aside for now, especially with the positive results found with this group of patients with very severe symptoms.

I also feel very comfortable extrapolating these results from salmon to sardines and would expect similar beneficial results. I highly recommend selecting wild salmon or wild sardines rather than farmed.

If you suffer from anxiety and stress, or any mood disorder, I hope this research is further motivation to eat wild fatty fish a few times a week. How much fatty fish do you eat each week and have you observed mood or other health improvements?

And if you’re a practitioner, I hope this research is a bigger incentive to continue to recommend fatty fish to your clients or patients.

The participants were placed in an essential oil group, a placebo group, and a control group by random assignment.

The essential oil group used aromatherapy inhalation by blending lavender, ylangylang, and bergamot essential oils once a day for 4 weeks.

To evaluate the effects of aromatherapy, blood pressure and pulse were measured two times a week and serum cortisol levels, catecholamine levels, subjective stress, and state anxiety were measured before and after treatment in the three groups.

Here are the results of the study:

The blood pressure, pulse, subjective stress, state anxiety, and serum cortisol levels among the three groups were significantly statistically different.

The results suggest that the inhalation method using essential oils can be considered an effective nursing intervention that reduces psychological stress responses and serum cortisol levels, as well as the blood pressure of clients with essential hypertension.

They did not see any significant differences in catecholamine levels among the three groups but keep in mind this was only a 4-week study. And to see those other results in just 4 weeks is very encouraging! A simple intervention and yet very profound.

Dietary changes and amino acids and other nutrients are my go-to approach for anxiety but I’m finding more and more of my clients benefit with the addition of essential oils.

Essential oils are also very beneficial in the following instance where amino acids and other supplements can’t be taken or are not tolerated:

Young children (inhalation aromatherapy and creams/lotions work well here)

Older adults (creams/lotions work well when there is loss of smell with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease)

Someone going through benzodiazepine withdrawal and is too sensitive for supplements or can only tolerate small amounts

I talk about this research and other essential oils for anxiety and stress in the upcoming Essential Oils Revolution 2 summit which runs August 22 to 29. I’m thrilled to be part of this event!

People all over the world are scrambling to find the answer to health problems like diabetes, pain, chronic fatigue, anxiety, estrogenic cancers and more. Millions are turning to natural solutions and many have experienced great success with essential oils. Learn if oils could be the missing ingredient for you and your family! What you will gain from this event:

Why essential oils are truly nature’s best medicine

How to use essential oils safely and effectively

Tips for regaining control of your health

Home recipes, guides, safety protocols and best practices

And so much more!

More than 165,000 people joined the 2015 Essential Oils Revolution. This year, the experts in aromatherapy, medicine and research will deliver in-depth discussion, debunk common myths and help you learn about the possibility of regaining your health using essential oils.